Brothel owner posts bail for Liberace's ex-lover

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Liberace's ex-lover is out of jail after a Lyon County brothel owner paid $15,000 to cover bail on identity theft charges.

Moonlite Bunny Ranch owner Dennis Hof says he paid to free Scott Thorson from Washoe County jail May 31 after two employees told him about the HBO drama, "Behind the Candelabra," detailing Thorson's relationship with the flamboyant Vegas performer.

Hof says he moved Thorson into his guest house behind the brothel so Thorson can get treatment for colon cancer and drug problems. He also hired an attorney to help Thorson avoid prison.

Thorson was charged in February after he found a wallet containing credit cards and proceeded to use them illegally. He pleaded guilty to burglary and identity theft charges last month and faces anywhere from two to 30 years in prison and fines up to $110,000.

Thorson has had prior run-ins with the law relating to drugs, and he was shot multiple times in a shooting connected to his participation as a witness in the Wonderland murders, Hof said, adding that the late Liberace's abuse prompted Thorson's life of drugs and crime.

Thorson and Liberace had a six-year relationship, which ended in 1982. During that span, Thorson worked as a personal assistant and was a live-in companion and lover to the entertainer who died of AIDS-related complications in 1987.

The movie which inspired Hof's decision to help Thorson is based on Thorson's autobiography and stars Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. Hof says they are now working on a second book deal that will likely be called "Beyond the Candelabra," and will focus on the life-long effects of Thorson's peculiar relationship with the entertainer.